One of the purposes of operating a motor vehicle with a convertible soft-covering system is to be able to modify the soft-covering system to fit to a variety of situations. Weather permitting, the soft-covering system can be removed (or retracted) so that the user of the motor vehicle can directly enjoy the sunshine and the outside air. If the weather is inclement on the other hand, the soft-covering system can be put on the vehicle so that the user is protected from unwanted elements like rain, snow or the sun.
Accordingly, a soft-covering system should be able to adapt to a variety of situations while also remaining (1) easy to use (2) easy to modify, and (3) effective at keeping undesirable elements (like rain and snow, for example) out of the vehicle's passenger compartment while allowing desirable elements (like fresh air, for example) into the vehicle's passenger compartment. Information relevant to address this problem can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,151 (Bernard), U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,455 (Doi et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,495 (Berman), U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,634 (Oshiro), U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,566 (Gore), U.S. Pat. No. 3,718,528 (Bergstrom). Each one of these referenced items, however, suffers from one or more of the following disadvantages.
A flexible window of the typical soft-covering system must be either opened or closed, it cannot be opened “a little bit” like the ordinary retractable windows found on non-convertible vehicles. The typical flexible window is secured to the soft-covering system by a zipper, requiring that the window cannot be adjustably lowered, but must be either “open” or “closed.” The typical flexible window can only be opened by unzipping the flexible window and folding it into the passenger compartment. The typical flexible window can only be closed by zipping up the zipper that secures the flexible window to the soft-covering.
On some hot days, it is desirable to travel with the soft-covering system on the vehicle to shield the passenger compartment from direct sunlight. As a consequence, if the flexible windows are closed, the temperature of passenger compartment can reach very high temperatures, at least in part because of the “greenhouse effect” caused by the sunlight coming through the translucent flexible windows.
Opening the flexible window does not solve the problem of direct sunlight. Moreover, leaving the flexible windows open when the vehicle is parked makes it easier for a passerby to see into the passenger compartment. Likewise, leaving the flexible window open also allows the sun to prematurely weather the interior of the passenger compartment. In addition, leaving the window open can expose the driver and the passenger to the unwanted effects of the sun, other elements and insects.
Opening the flexible window also creates excessive airflow though the passenger compartment when the vehicle is moving. The excessive airflow makes it uncomfortable for the passengers and driver because of the high wind and noise created by the excessive airflow.
In addition, the flexible window of the typical soft-covering system is exposed to the outside and can be easily scratched by branches and other objects, particularly when the vehicle is driven “off-road.” Over time, the flexible window can become so scratched that it becomes difficult for the driver and passengers to see though the flexible window.
What is needed is a component for a soft-covering system that (1) reduces the “greenhouse effect” that occurs when the soft-covering system is on the vehicle, whether the window is open or not (2) reduces the harmful unwanted effects the sun can have on the driver, the passengers and the interior of the passenger compartment, (3) reduces the airflow that occurs when the vehicle is driven with one or more soft windows down, (4) makes it more difficult for a passerby to see into the passenger compartment, while still allowing an occupant to see the outside from inside the passenger compartment, and (5) protects the flexible window from being scratched or otherwise damaged.